D-86 approves checking residency on all students

HINSDALE – The District 86 Board of Education unanimously approved at Monday's Committee of the Whole meeting to have the district enforce residency checks on all students, every year.

“We've determined we will start looking at the residency of all students when they enroll,” said acting superintendent Bruce Law. “That seems to be the thing most high school districts are doing.”

When previously looking into residency, Law saw said checks were not being systematically performed as part of registration at all grade levels. Starting next school year, students will have to prove residency every year, not just if they are a new student or a freshman.

“I think people in the district are happy to start this process,” Law said.

Law said it was important to consistently communicate with families so they know exactly what is needed from them, however, a plan still needs to be ironed out as to how families will demonstrate they live in the district each year.

Board member Richard Skoda said a major issue with not doing this is that forevery 15 extra students the district has, it costs $250,000.

“We have about 4,800 students, so say there's 60 students in there that maybe shouldn't be there, that's a $1 million cost,” Skoda said.

Law said starting in December the district will be communicating with families informing them what they need to do to prove residency as registration will be approaching.

“Even when this process is in place, we would need a way to test the water so to speak for residency of students before we get to March if there are students we need to be following up with for residency that we're unsure about,” Law said.

Current policy states that new District 86 students have to provide a real estate tax bill, signed lease, agreement of sale, mortgage papers or a notarized affidavitfrom a resident of the family who the student and at least one parent lives with to prove residency in the district.

In addition, families have to provide two of the following: voter identification, library card, gas or electric ball, driver's license, home or apartment insurance, auto registration or a public aid card.